February 14, 2010 begins the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Tiger.
The Tiger is known for its bravery and is a bold and courageous fighter. 
Always searching for excitement, the Tiger lives dangerously and often finds itself center stage.  To best maximize your efforts in this New Year, strive fearlessly toward your goals.  Welcome [...]

If weight loss is one of your challenges for the New year, here are a few behavior changes that will help you to shed those extra pounds.

Decrease your fat intake and incorporate healthier alternatives:
Use olive oil instead of butter on bread
Use avocado instead of cheese on a sandwich
Choose a veggie or [...]

Lose weight and improve your health.
The number one reason why diet plans fail is that they are too limiting and can only be adhered to for short periods of time. The success in losing weight and keeping it off is to have a plan that includes food you enjoy and a practical way to keep [...]

Imagine your spine is a string of pearls, suspended in space, dripping from the very top of your head.
As you stand or sit, open the point on the ball of your foot, feel all four corners of your foot spreading outward — your foot connecting into the earth.
Elongate your neck so your chin gently tucks [...]

Lying on your back with knees bent, place your hands on your belly.
 As you inhale allow your navel and abdomen to fill with air.
As you exhale allow your navel to sink toward your spine.
 With each inhale say in your mind “Inhale, 2, 3, 4, pause”  and with each exhale say “Exhale, 2, 3, 4, pause.”
Allow [...]

Find a comfortable position and allow your body to relax.
Become aware of where you feel tension accumulated from the day’s activities.
As you inhale see if any particular color comes to mind. Use that color to paint the area of tension.
Take your time. Inhale the color, allow it to wash over your [...]

•    Never skip meals. Your body needs energy!
•    But be sure to snack smart: celery, carrot sticks, nuts, and seeds. Munchies keep your mouth busy.
•    Increase exercise to get the endorphins going.
•    Stay away from triggers – smoking hangouts and smoking-break buddies.
•    Get plenty of rest.  Set aside time for napping and relaxing. You’re allowed!
•    [...]

It’s that time of the year again ~ when we look to the future and try to “turn over a new leaf” to better our lives. Many of us resolve to start a work-out routine or shed a few pounds. Whatever your New Year’s Resolution, here are some ways to increase your chances for success:

Acknowledge [...]

Map out the time you will spend with family and build in time to relax. Set a specific time to do an activity that you enjoy and invite family to join you.
Remember to spend some holiday vacation time away from your regular routine. Don’t forget to allow a few moments of solitude.
If a situation is [...]

Smooth Sailing into Autumn
Summer is coming to an end and it is time to prepare for the cooler days of Autumn and the longer nights of Winter. As we are well aware, Summer is the hottest time of the year, with the most sunlight and, therefore, the most Yang energy. Yang is the active part [...]

How do I know what is a healthy food choice?

Guidelines to eating well and feeling great!

Keep a food diary. This is the greatest tool for keeping track of what foods energize you and what foods are not beneficial.
Eat warm, cooked foods. Avoid uncooked fruits and vegetables. Remember everything you put into your body needs [...]

With daylight dwindling and cooler weather upon us, it is often difficult to maintain a sunny attitude. What can you do to beat the autumn blues?
Each season has an element, a color, an emotion.

Autumn is ruled by the Metal element, the color white, letting go.
Why do many people feel sad this time of year? It [...]

7 ways you can mend your mood in 7 minutes or less:

Stop whatever you are doing. Close your eyes. Imagine the most beautiful person, place or thing. Try to breathe in that image deep into your lungs, and, as you exhale, feel your body sinking into the chair.
Get up from your seat. With your [...]

The sun is strong and you are hot ~

Stay cool and hydrated easily.

You’ve heard it plenty, “Drink lots of fluids.” But did you know that certain herbal teas, such as chrysanthemum, mint & chamomile, have cooling properties? Mix up a batch and sip throughout the day to satisfy your thirst and provide some internal cooling [...]

To help quell your craving for sugars try this sweet vegetable drink.
Equal amounts of:

Carrots
Squash (orange inside)
Onions
Green cabbage

Cut all vegetables into fine pieces. Add 4 times the amount of water to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce flame, simmer 15-20 minutes. Strain and drink 1-2 cups daily. Drink can be stored in [...]

Do you feel sleepy at work?

Tips to increase concentration & productivity.
ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK:
Your goal: Beat fatigue, reduce tension headaches, and improve vision
Your move: A gentle workout for the eye muscles
Imagine your peepers are like the hands of a clock. When you read (something many people do all day long at work) you move [...]

To figure out if a food is a trigger, first start an “Elimination Diet.”
Eat whole grains, simply prepared protein (fish, chicken, beef) and steamed veggies (carrots, sweet potato, boy choy, string beans, etc.)
Then add in the foods to be tested for 3 days.
Often these foods are HUGE triggers:
Nuts, especially tree nuts (peanuts seem to be [...]

On January 26, 2009, we welcome the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox, 4707.
The ox is a symbol of strength and signifies a person of strong character, a person who is very stable and perseveres through even the most difficult challenges.
The ox represents good judgment, hard work and determination. Thus, it is believed [...]

Start with a big pot, heat olive oil, gently add organic beef stew pieces, allow to stick to pan, do not saute, wait for brown on all sides.
Be careful not to burn self when turning pieces over, oil gets quite hot, use a sturdy pot.
Cut up celery, carrot, sweet potato (or yam), and onions or [...]

Daunted by your first time as a mother? Don’t be. Here are my top ten tips to help you stay healthy, focused and calm during this amazing time of growth. [...]

Prenatal Yoga Jennifer Pettit 917.488.2638

Labor Doula Suzanne Connole 917.620.2790

Postpartum Doula Lori Becker 917.612.0930

Recommended Books
Gaskin, Ina May (2003). Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth. New York NY: Bantam Books.
Karp, Harvey (2002). The Happiest Baby on the Block. New York NY: Bantam Dell.
McClure, Vimala (2000). Infant Massage AHandbook for Loving Parents. New York NY: Bantam Books.

A patient, a woman in her early 30’s, suddenly stopped having her menses and started to experience severe hot flashes several times per hour.  Alarmed, she went to her OB/GYN doctor and received the diagnosis of Pre-Mature Ovarian Failure.  She was stunned, upset and had many unanswered questions.  Did this mean she could not have [...]

A young woman arrived in my office with a sensation of having “something caught in my throat.”  She felt this sensation while swallowing and described it as “a lump in my throat.”  She went to the Western medical doctors and, after examining her throat, found no physical obstruction.  They offered her little explanation or relief [...]

There is one amazing success story this month that I would like to share because I feel it will help many readers to understand how Western and Eastern medicine can work together for the [...]

So often patients ask: What does Chinese medicine have to say about diet?
The simple answer is balance.
You want balance in every meal.
Each and every meal should include protein, carbohydrate, fat and, don’t forget, flavor!
When deciding how much you should consume you can use this simple guideline:
Each meal should contain a portion of protein the [...]

Nutritional tips to help heal tired muscles, prevent injury, and keep your energy levels up. You strive to enhance physical performance with diet but how do you know what to eat?
According to the principles of Chinese Medicine it is recommended:

Eat warm cooked foods to nourish tendons and blood.
Avoid cold uncooked vegetables like salads, carrot sticks, [...]

Musicians, athletes, and computer users are often plagued with tendonitis as a result of repetitive strain. As a result of repeating the same movement, the tendons and muscles fatigue and local inflammation and pain results.
For those suffering from repetitive stain injury it is common to feel there can be no relief and often people lose [...]

Castor Oil Packs
Castor oil is derived from the bean of the Ricinus communis/Palma Christi plant.  It is used therapeutically for centuries in the folk medicine of ancient India, China, Persia, Africa, Greece, Roma and the Americas.
Castor oil breaks up adhesions and stagnation.  In Chinese medicine terms, this can be qi, blood, fluid or phlegm stagnation.
It [...]

Perfect your sport.

Focus your mind and reduce injuries.
Sports injuries have hit us all. If you are active, if you enjoy training hard, at some point you have felt the limitations of a sports injury. We strive to push our fitness levels, increasing performance, achieving our goals. To help faciliate that process remember a few [...]

Smoking Cessation Contract
I, __________________________ herby make the promise to myself, that I will
(name)
begin my preparations to stop smoking on _________________. I will start now
(date)
to take the steps necessary to prepare myself for the Quitting Day.
The day on which I have chosen to stop smoking cigarettes is ______________.
(date)
I am stopping for the following reasons:
1. [...]

How To Do It:
Tricks to Keep You On Track

Never skip meals. Your body needs energy!
But be sure to snack smart: celery, carrot sticks, nuts, seeds. Munchies to keep your mouth busy.
Increase exercise to get the endorphins going. Practice breathing.
Stay away from triggers – smoking hangouts and smoking-break buddies
Get plenty of rest. Set aside [...]